Yesterday I accepted an invitation to tag along with our literacy coach, Mrs. Kiewiet and literacy consultant from the AEA, Mrs. Blohm while they observed mini-lessons. During the classroom visits, our teachers were using a gradual release strategy during writer's workshop, which fits under the umbrella of our larger balanced literacy framework. Essentially it works like this: through direct instruction the teacher models what they want the students to do. Then, the students complete the task together. Finally, they work independently on the task.
I observed a lot of outstanding instruction, ranging from how do deliver a book talk in sixth grade to understanding the differences in the beginning, middle, and end of a story in first grade.
Part of our overall strategy in this work is to create consistency across all grade levels so as students advance, they hear familiar language. The end result is of course improved student outcomes. Nonetheless, it was a great reminder for me as to how complex this work is for teachers! Not only that, it requires an incredible amount of energy!
No comments:
Post a Comment